Luckily, the big rain didn’t materialize and the morning was overcast and a bit damp but nothing too bad. I hitched a ride from the motel to the trailhead around 8:30 (motel shuttle left at 9). Before leaving I got a picture of the motel dog Deeogee….

This is Rooster who gave me a lift to the trailhead. He looked and sounded just like The Dude from the Big Lebowski (with a southern accent).

It was perfect hiking temps inter 50’s and kind of misty….

A 2nd breakfast stop at the 3-level Plum Orchard shelter. ..

Hiking thru the Rhododendron tunnel…

Here I am crossing my first state line: goodbye Georgia, hello North Carolina…

Hiking friends for the afternoon:Eric and Sparkles from Boston at a very cool old tree…

This is Olive and Olive’s Human (aka OH) next to one of my favorite side trail names…

Olive, OH and I found a great camp spot with a terrific sunset at White Oak Gap.

For all the forecasts of 1-2″ of rain we ultimately got next to nothing m and the sun came out for a bit. Lesson learned, don’t plan your days around the weather forecast.

It’s quite a bit warmer tonight with lows in the 40’s…yay!